by KFF Team | Jun 4, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
We launch the month of June slightly more than three months in advance of the start of the 2026 Kansas State Fair. In the meantime, combines will roll across Kansas’ wheat fields harvesting this year’s crop of the golden grain. And, next month, we will pause to...
by KFF Team | Apr 26, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
James Fisher, Executive Director for the Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation (KFF), is returning to his roots in northwest Missouri next month as President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, which is headquartered in St. Joseph where he was born. He...
by KFF Team | Apr 2, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
This past month, I had occasion to attend a check presentation recognizing a $99,000 Attraction Development Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce to support preservation of the Ye Old Mill, one of the Fair’s most iconic and historic attractions. The grant...
by KFF Team | Mar 5, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
This past week, I had occasion to attend the February breakfast meeting of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce at the 1861 Club. As 100 of Hutchinson’s business leaders gathered, Chamber President Debra Teufel spoke briefly about business expansions...
by KFF Team | Feb 5, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
This past month, I participated in a meeting of the Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation (KFF) Board of Directors. As a member of this board for the past 10-years, I am always impressed that our leadership team takes whatever time is needed to cover all topics under...
by KFF Team | Dec 31, 2025 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
Thursday, we officially said goodbye to 2025 and launched a new year. Many achievements affecting the Kansas State Fair were realized in 2025, and January 1 gives us a fresh start to continue the upward progression of positivity. For many, it is a...
